Mah Ze Dahr Banana Bread: Mah Ze Dahr is a small bakery in Greenwich Village with pastries carefully organized on wooden boards and raised platters, somehow conveying both abundance (through its variety of baked goods) and scarcity (there are <10 of each). This banana bread was served in a sizable disc, like an enlarged, leveled-off muffin top, or an especially thick cookie. Unfortunately, while banana bread is one of my favorites, I found it to be a bit on the dry side, and the sugar coating on top made it far too... (read more)2.0/5.0

365 Organic Oatmeal raisin cookies: These cookies strike an ideal balance; just chewy enough yet satisfyingly crumbly; decently sized so that two cookies feels like enough; not too sugary but definitely buttery. Basically just a classic, well-done oatmeal raisin cookies that is about as good as you can hope for a store-brand snack. 4.0/5.0

Sidral Mundet Apple soda: Bottled Mexican apple-flavored soda with a rich caramel color. Tastes remarkably of fresh Apple juice without being overly sweet. Lightly carbonated. I like it just S much as Apple Sidra, and more so than sparkling Martinelli's. 4.0/5.0

Trader Joe’s Gingerbread spice granola: A seasonal Trader Joe’s product, this wintery granola has all the usual spices, including cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. It has a strong flavor that’s best diluted with a bowl of plain yogurt or cold milk. With milk, the granola takes on a preferably softer consistency, as otherwise it’s a little too crunchy. Overall, I don’t mind it, but it’s not a favorite. 3.0/5.0

Brooklyn Crafted Mango ginger beer: I was hopeful about this fruit-flavored ginger beer, which I found at Brooklyn Fare in downtown Brooklyn. Purchased in a set of four bottles, the apricot-tinted drink contains bits of ginger sediments throughout. Sadly, the soda drank very sweet, reminding me of generic fruit-flavored gelatin snacks you can get from Asian grocery stores in the candy aisle. The ginger flavor was faintly present, mostly visually rather than in taste. 2.5/5.0